"This is a really great regatta," said UCSD head coach Pattie Pinkerton. "Our crews will get in three very competitive races in a short amount of time, against programs they usually don't face."

In its heat race, the Triton varsity four finished second to Nova Southeastern, which is ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II polls. The Tritons finished with a time of 8:03.83, one second ahead of D-I James Madison.

The varsity four went on to compete in the afternoon's semifinal race, where the boat recorded another second place finish. UCSD shaved some seconds off of its heat time, clocking in at 7:55.31. No. 2 Mercyhurst was the winner of the race, crossing the finish line at 7:50.

The Tritons will proceed to compete in the grand final race on Sunday, placing them amid the top six boats of the 28-boat field.

"The varsity four did great," said Pinkerton. "Their goal was to get sub-eight minutes, and in both races we were around that time. They just did an awesome job."

The Triton varsity eight will also advance to a final race on Sunday, as Saturday's efforts earned them a spot in the C final lineup. UCSD will join a field comprised of the boats that placed 13th-18th in Saturday's heats.

UCSD crossed the finish line fourth in its heat with a time of 7:15.66, sixteen seconds behind third-place Grand Valley State. Finishing with a time good enough to send them through to the afternoon's semifinals, the Tritons went on to race in the C block, where they clocked a fifth place time of 7:09. D-I Purdue finished first in both the Tritons' heat and semifinal contests.

"We were a little disappointed with the varsity eight, not because of the effort, but because we're still faltering with 500 meters to go, then struggling through the finish. We've identified the problem and have made it a focal point," Pinkerton said.

With Saturday's results, both Triton boats will continue competition Sunday in Oak Ridge in their respective final stakes.

Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Championships - Day One
April 21, 2012
Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Varsity Eight Heat
1. Purdue 6:50.1
2. Central OK 6:53.55
3. Grand Valley State 6:59.21
4. UCSD 7:15.66
5. Tulane 7:20.79
6. Liberty 7:23.15

Varsity Eight Semifinal
1. Purdue 6:44.40
2. Nova SE 6:47.23
3. Emory 6:55.9
4. OK City U. 6:57
5. UCSD 7:09
6. Georgia Tech 7:10.46

Varsity Four Heat
1. Nova SE 7:45.2
2. UCSD 8:03.83
3. JMU 8:04.36
4. Murray 8:06.00
5. UA-Huntsville 8:25.44

Varsity Four Semifinal
1. Mercyhurst 7:50.50
2. UCSD 7:55.31
3. CCHUCK 7:55.75
4. Miami 8:01.80
5. VCU 8:02.06
6. ULWN 8:03.77